It is absolutely disgusting that the state vaccinated the inmates at ASH while our children, my children, are still on waiting lists for the vaccine. This is a deadly flu! Children are the number one group affected by it. ASH’s response that getting the staff and the patients vaccinated there actually does a lot of good for helping the community is BS. If that were the case, vaccinate the staff, not the inmates.

In reality ASH is in no different position than any other organization when it comes to the swine flu: A lot of people working in close proximity to one another. The only difference is that they don’t have an “at risk” population and they report to the state Department of Mental Health, which through skill or inside knowledge got its people moved up on the list. Moved up at the sake of our children!

 Where is the planning on the part of health officials? Where is the coordination between state agencies? What kind of skewed decision-making is taking place at the Department of Mental Health that would allow this plan to go ahead? Why does our government place such a low value on our children?

Let’s get our priorities straight. Get the vaccine to our children first!